Not flossing could have dire health consequences

You can exercise, eat well, and be emotionally healthy, but
if you don't floss, cavities could be just the beginning of
your problems.

Flossing every day is so crucial to health that it's one of
the questions included in the Living to 100 Life Expectancy
Calculator. The tool uses parameters like diet, exercise, and
health habits to determine an approximate age of death. Thomas
Perls, the creator of the calculator and an attending
geriatrician at Boston Medical Center and professor at the
Boston University
School of Medicine, said only one question on the quiz
addresses flossing, but the calculator estimates that this yes or
no could be worth up to one year of life. Though it's
difficult to quantify health habits in terms of how many years of
life they add, doctors and dentists alike assert that
flossing is essential for good dental health — and dental
health has long been
tied to overall physical health as well.

Not flossing allows plaque, the thin film of bacteria and saliva
that clings to teeth and builds up over the day, to turn into
tartar, a hard deposit that can irritate and inflame the gums.
The tartar can cause the gums to recede and create a
gap between the gum and the tooth that could become
infected.

This stage is called periodontal disease, and can destroy the
bone and tissue that hold teeth in place, resulting in
a higher risk of tooth decay and loss. But problems inside
your mouth are just the tip of the iceberg. Gum
disease has been associated with ailments in other areas of
the body as well, including heart disease, HPV infection,
mouth cancers, diabetes, and kidney failure.

A 2013 study in the journal CardioRenal Medicine also found that
patients with both chronic kidney disease and
periodontitis were more
likely to die of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of
death among those with kidney problems. The study was unable
to find the reason how and why gum disease contributes
to heart disease deaths, but the researchers recommended
curbing periodontitis in patients suffering from kidney
disease.

Those with diabetes are also
at a higher risk of developing gum disease, and vice versa. A
2012
study in the journal Diabetologia suggests that there is
evidence "supporting the existence of a two-way relationship
between diabetes and periodonditis, with diabetes increasing the
risk for periodonditis and periodontal inflammation negatively
affecting glycemic control."

Diabetes is manageable with the right diet and the right
medication, and those suffering from it often have the same life
expectancy as those without. But the same Diabetologia study
found that those with diabetes and gum disease were three times
more likely to die from heart and kidney diseases than diabetic
people without gum disease.

So the next time you find yourself standing in front of your
bathroom sink, take a couple minutes to floss. Your older self
will thank you.